Thera 6.9: Sumana
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(219):Sumana Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter VI. Six Verses =219. Sumana= Reborn in this Buddha-age he took birth in the family of a certain lay-disciple who had become the lay-attendant of the venerable Thera Anuruddha.1 Now that layman's children till then had died young. And the father said: 'If yet one more son is born to me, I will have him initiated into monkhood by the Thera. After ten months a healthy boy was born to him, and accordingly, when the child was seven years old, he was initiated into monkhood. And from the ripeness of his insight, it was not long before he acquired sixfold abhiññā(higher knowledge), waiting the while upon the Thera. Taking a jar to fetch him water, Sumana through iddhi-power came to the Anotatta Lake.2 And a wicked serpent-king, coiled about the lake, reared its great hood uprisen and would not allow him to get water. Then Sumana took the shape of a garuda-bird3 and 221 overcame the serpent, and flew back with the water to the Thera. And the Lord(Buddha), seated in Jeta Grove, saw him as he went, and called Sariputta to see, praising him in the four verses below. Now Sumana, in testifying to aññā(supreme attainment), added those verses to his own as follows: ---- 429 Yadā navo pabbajitā jātiyā sattavassiko,|| Iddhiyā abhibhotvāna pannagindaɱ mahiddhikaɱ.|| || 430 Upajjhāyassa udakaɱ anotattā mahāsarā,|| Āharāmi tato disvā maɱ satthā etadabravī.|| || 431 Sāriputta imaɱ passa āgacchantaɱ kumārakaɱ,|| Udakumbhakamādāya ajjhattaɱ susamāhitaɱ.|| || 432 Pāsādikena vattena kalyāṇairiyāpatho,|| Sāmaṇeronuruddhassa iddhiyā ca visārado.|| || 433 Ājānīyena ājañño sādhunā sādhukārito,|| Vinīto anuruddhena katakiccena sikkhito.|| || 434 So patvā paramaɱ santiɱ sacchikatvā akuppataɱ,|| Sāmaṇero sa sumano mā maɱ jaññāti icchatī' ti.|| || ---- 429 When newly made a Monk seven years old, By supernormal power I overcame The wondrous potence of the serpent king, 430 When as I water for my teacher's use From the great lake of Anotatta fetched. Me coming thus the Lord(Buddha) saw and spoke: 431 See, Sariputta, how the little lad Holding his jar of water comes along, Rapt all his being, utterly intent. 432 Noble his carriage on his gracious quest, And well-matured in supernormal power, This novice of our Anuruddha's band. 433 By trainer of high breeding highly bred, By the proficient made throughly expert, By perfect competence made competent, By Anuruddha taught and disciplined: 434 He having won the highest peace and good And realized the influctuate, even he - This novice Sumana - hide his power And thus: Let no man know me! did desire.4 ---- 1 See CCLVI. 2 One of seven mythical lakes in the Himalaya regions (Vinaya Texts, i. 124; Milinda, ii. 137). 3 The 'roc'-bird of India. 4 Sumana might well be the Sumana of CCI. if Anuruddha were the uncle, and it may be another case of a bifurcate legend. The name, however, is not unusual. This Sumana is possibly the venerable Thera 'from the West,' who, with three others and four from the East, presided at the Council of Vesālī a century after the Buddha's death (Vinaya Texts, iii. 407). There was anyway a tradition that, of these eight Theras two - Sumana and Vāsabhagāmi - were pupils of Anuruddha, and 'had seen the Tathagata' (Dīpavaŋa, iv. 48 ; v. 24). ---- =6.10 219 Commentary on the stanza of Sumaṇatthera= The stanza starting with yadānava pabbajito constitutes that of the venerable thera Sumana. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in the family of a garland maker at the time of the Blessed One Sikhī; on having attained the age of intelligence, he, one day saw the Blessed One Sikhī, became pious-minded and made reverential offerings of jasmine flowers (to Him). On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his, rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and took conception in the house of a certain devotee when this Buddha arose. That devotee was the attendant on the venerable thera Anuruddha. Such boys as were born prior to him dies. On that account he planned (cittṃ uppādesi) thus: “Now, if I shall gain a son, I shall make him a monk in the presence of out lord, the thera Anuruddha.” He also was given birth to with the lapse of ten months, was but healthy, grew up gradually, and became seven years of age; him his father made to become a monk in the presence of the thera. He entered the Order of minks, and thereagter, doing the deed of developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) because of all-round maturity of knowledge, became an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge, but before long; attending upon the thera, he went to the Anotatta lake by means of his magical power taking along with him a water-pot (ghaṭa). ----